EUrophobia or EUrogloria

EU leaders are currently still strugling in Brussels to find the way forward for the European Union. Some say: we shouldn't have a flag or an anthem; the Fundamental Rights charter shouldn't be legally binding; we shouldn't have a new (democratic) voting system; we shouldn't have one Foreign Minister.

The Netherlands doesn't want that the document will be called 'constitution', there shouldn't be a flag or anthem and there shouldn't be a reference to the primacy of EU law. This makes our demands purely cosmetic. Just because political leaders haven't been able to convey the need of a strong EU a few years ago, they now bring a deceptive message to their own constituency.

I believe that a strong EU is needed not only to safeguard economic growth, moreover to guarantee a healthy, wealthy and prosperous society with a equal place for each citizen and with respect to the world that we live in. It is needed to work on such endeauvours together, not in the last place because single member states' capacity to have a healthy and competitive place in the world economy lack any potential for success. We need to build together, and building together requires a clear common understanding of values. Albeit social, cultural or economic values, albeit human rights values or foreign policy values. A legal framework in which such values can be established is therefore essential. Creating common values is not established at EU-top, it is a journey that shall continue as long as our Union will exist.

Today I was elected Young Dutch European Citizen of the Year, and I'm very proud of that. Working with young people in Europe inspires me because young people have such tremendous energy in trying to understand each other, in building on the common project of the European Union.